More Indonesian citizens in Syria evacuated on Saturday

Jumat, 20 Juli 2012 19:04 WIB | 2.005 Views

Michael Tene. (kemlu.go.id)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Stranded Indonesian citizens would be evacuated from Syria on Saturday (July 21) as tensions in the country continue to spiral out of control with each passing day, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Michael Tene here on Friday.

"On Saturday, 38 Indonesians will be repatriated from the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus. They are scheduled to arrive at Soekarno Hatta International Airport on Sunday (July 22)," Tene told reporters in the Foreign Ministry office.

Between February and July, 403 Indonesian citizens from Syria have been repatriated through 17 flights and this number will further climb to 441 people following repatriation on Saturday, said Tene.

The Foreign Ministry has prepared three shelters in Syria for Indonesians escaping the uprising in the country. The Ministry noted that 206 Indonesians were still waiting for repatriation and were currently located in the shelters in Syria.

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the turmoil in Syria was already categorized as a civil war in his speech. Therefore, he urged the United Nations to immediately take steps to overcome the issue.

"Indonesia really hopes that the UN Security Council immediately takes action to overcome the situation in Syria," said President at a press conference.

If the current mandate was not effective enough to stop the tension in Syria, Indonesia believed that it might be the time to consider adjusting the mandate based on Article 7 of the UN Treaty.

Indonesia has sent a recommendation letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon asking the UN to facilitate an agreement and end the ongoing tragedy. (*)